Garboard Strake

The garboard strake is the plank next to the keel and is often considered to be the hardest plank to fit. On a double ender such as a Peapod this is doubly so - you can’t let the plank hang over the transom to be trimmed later - but must get a fit into the forward and aft stems at the same time.

The whole process takes some time - partly because we are learning as we go - and partly because we are also doing the painting and finishing module which takes up a chunk of each day.

We are working out a procedure to try and plank the boat efficiently but because we are doing a few different (and additional) things to the normal carvel planking process (such as plank pre-encapsulation in flexible epoxy) things are bit too complicated to get the process from a text book. Once we work it out (at about draft 6 of the planking procedure notes I think) I’ll describe the whole thing - but meantime here are a few illustrative pictures of the garboard getting fitted.

Here is the spiled plank clamped in place (optimistically) - it can’t really take the required twist so can’t really be trimmed to fit.

So - we resort to steam and use a plastic nozzle (with copious gaffer tape of course) to steam the ends of each plank (this is generally called ’steaming the hood ends’).

This helps a lot - and after some further work we have a plank that more or less fits.

After some further work - and a bit of adjustment to the rabbet, I have (with help from Alex who is visiting for the weekend) a dry fit for the garboard strake. Lots of drilling and screwing - and 42 1″ #8 silicon bronze screws hold it in place.

After further work planing the bevel for caulking the garboard - the inner face is sanded clear and retired to the chemical annex for coating with solvented epoxy prior to fitting (more on this process in a later post).

What is not clear from this simple description of the garboard is that we are, by now, working on six (three pairs of) planks at once. The garboards are just about ready for final fit (including bedding compound for the garboard/hog joint), we are in the process of fitting the port second plank (known as the ‘first broad’ strake) and have scarfed the planking stock required for the third plank (known as the ’second broad’ strake). This parallel activity is all fine as long as everything goes well - but once things go wrong (and they always do) the project management needed to keep us all effective and busy (for we are three on the project team this week) gets fairly complicated.

In addition we have some City and Guilds Underlying Knowledge tests about Hull and Deck construction. This takes up time (today) and provides a general diversion for people to slope off and do revision (beforehand) and celebrate/drown sorrows in the pub (afterwards). The relief from juggling project management and quality control activities with my own practical work - means that I personally get a lot of work done between the C&G tests. This conflict between personal productivity and project management distraction seems to be a recurring theme in (my) life…..

Anyway tomorrow is another plank - or possibly two - I hope.

PS Here is a glossary of boat (building) terms (just for Phil).